Learn how to quickly reduce a document’s file size in the Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps on your Mac if you’re having trouble sending or sharing it due to its large size.
When you’re creating basic documents, spreadsheets, or presentations that mainly consist of text, the file size usually doesn’t get too large to send or share. However, when you start adding images or videos, the file size can increase significantly. To address this, consider compressing the file to make it smaller.
Reduce document file size in Pages, Numbers, and Keynote
1) Open your document in the Apple Pages, Numbers, or Keynote app.
2) Click File > Reduce File Size from the top menu bar.
3) You’ll see the current size and estimated size after reduction at the top of the pop-up window.
Adjust the settings for how you want to achieve a smaller file size:
- General: You can check both or just one box for “Scale down large images” and “Remove trimmed parts of movies and audio.”
- Movie Format: Choose from either the “Most compatible (H.264),” “High efficiency (HEVC),” or “Preserve original format.” For the first option, H.264 is used frequently for compressing high-definition video. This is likely what you’ll want to choose.
- Movie Quality: This option is available if you choose “Most Compatible” or “High efficiency” for the Movie Format (above). You can choose from 1080p, 4K, or Draft Quality/Smaller File.
After tweaking your options here, you’ll see the current file size and the new estimated file size.
4) Click either Reduce This File or Reduce a Copy. If you choose to Reduce a Copy, you’ll still have your original to work with and can name the copy differently.
You’ll see a brief pop-up as the compression process takes place. And that’s it—your file size has been reduced.
There may be times when you attempt to reduce the file size but receive a message stating it couldn’t be reduced. This happens when all media is already optimized for the settings you selected.
There isn’t much work involved in reducing the file size of a document in Pages, Numbers, or Keynote when you use this convenient feature. And since you can make a copy and retain your original, it’s worth it if you plan to email or share that file.
Do you have any tips like these for working with files in iWork apps?
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